A Business Remodel

Well here I go again… I’ve been looking into marketing for my business (mostly my Etsy shop), so I’ve been looking at a lot of business books, and marketing books.

So many of them talk about passion! I am not passionate about my jewelry. (Confession-most of it is not something I would wear.) I love to do bead weaving, but sometimes the designs are a little elaborate and fancy for me. 

But not really “fancy” enough to be FABULOUS beadwork. (I see some amazing designs on Pinterest). I don’t really have the passion to WANT to create FABULOUS beadwork. My feeling has always been that I want my jewelry to be completely wearable. To something other than an art gallery opening).  I don’t mean to put anyone down who makes or wears elaborate designs, it’s just not me, and it’s not anyone I know either. 

So, after much thought, I’m shifting my focus back to my roots.  I grew up in southern California. That means I was surrounded by lots of different ethnic groups and styles. My own style has always been an eclectic mixture of cultural influences. Native American, Mexican, Asian, Indian, etc. And I'm a bit of a hippie, with a little bit of country and Cowboy thrown in the mix.

The few times I ever dressed up for Halloween as a child, I was a ‘gypsy”. I’ve always loved “hippie” styles and what we now call boho. And whenever western wear was in style-I was there!

 

We have some native American ancestry, and my Mom decorated and dressed with a lot of native American influence. Plus, I spent quite a bit of time in Arizona when I was growing up. And a lot of that time was in the Sedona area, which, even then was full of Artists. This had a huge influence on my style and aesthetic.

So, I have decided to create jewelry that is more my style. My eclectic blend of styles. Designs that I will want to wear! And I'm excited again!

The launch of my new line is April 16 at my Etsy store: www.BrownIrisCreations.com

Debby

 Commitment leads to action. Action brings your dream closer.
Marcia Wieder

 

New Environment

I thought I'd show you all some of my new surroundings. Before I do that, however, I need to explain a little of my background.
 I was born in Long Beach, California. At some point, when I was very young, we moved to South Gate, California. Then, just before first grade, we moved to Cerritos, California. From there, I moved to Bellflower, California. I went to Cal State Long Beach. The point is, I've lived, grown up, gone to school, and worked in Southern California my whole life. Until now.
  For those of you unfamiliar with Southern California, I'll explain it this way. I lived in the suburbs on Los Angeles. So, while I was about 20 miles away from L.A., that entire distance is city. It's city for 30-40 miles in every direction from me (except southwest, because the coast is closer than that). There are parks, of course, but generally I've been surrounded by concrete and freeways and buildings and streets and industrial areas and freeways my entire life.

OK, this is where I live now...

View from just outside my bedroom door

View from the backyard, overlooking the valley

I'm not complaining, it's beautiful here. It's just a big change in lifestyle.  I'm used to popping down to the store any time I want to. Going out to get fast food on a whim. Now, the nearest fast food is 20 miles away. And going shopping for anything at a department or discount store involves a trip to Fresno, which is about 30 miles away. So, a trip to Fresno takes planning and usually involves more than one person. We have to coordinate trips and make sure we're hitting all the stores while we're down there, because we may not be back for two or three weeks. So, we go to Walmart, Costco, Home Depot, and wherever else all in the same trip. Sometimes it takes hours!
    I will say though, the trip to Fresno is beautiful. We go from oak tree covered foothills, down to more sparsely covered hills, then to wide open ranch land. We nearly always see hawks flying overhead or perched on the fences, too.